Return of Sen
by YamiSerenity
Summary: ROS returns with a vengence! Chihiro comes back to the bathhouse and receives a not-so-welcome welcome from someone...
1. Chapter 1

Return of Sen: Chapter 1  
  
Hello again!!!! ::waves furiously:: Look! Look! Return of Sen has returned!! My account's been unblocked and I'm reposting the entire fic!!! ::dances::  
  
Pegasus: And there was much rejoicing.  
  
Spirited Away chars: ::cheer rather unenthusiastically and a few wave flags:: Yaaaaaaay.  
  
Anyway, these reposted chapters won't have any Author's Notes, but I will be putting up the names of those of you who reviewed each chapter. So here we go... AGAIN!!   
  
"Class, let's welcome our new student."  
  
Chihiro sighed. So there's a new student, she thought grumpily. Big deal. She crosses her arms on her desk and put her head in them. Just another person to be my enemy. Ever since she'd come to her school, two years ago, no one had wanted to be friends with her. She couldn't understand it, but by now, she'd come to accept it.  
  
"Give a warm welcome to-"  
  
Someone next to Chihiro sneezed. Chihiro didn't look up.  
  
"You can take the empty seat behind Chihiro." Chihiro rolled her closed eyes. Great. Now not only did I not hear their name, they're gonna be sitting behind me. Oh well. She didn't move as she heard footsteps walk by her and the person sit down. Suddenly, she sensed a head lean forward next to her ear.  
  
"Chihiro! I expected a warmer welcome from you!"  
  
Her eyes shot open. That voice... It couldn't be... could it!? Slowly, she raised her head. It sounded like a voice that she'd heard only in her dreams for two long years. Hardly breathing, she looked behind her and nearly started crying.  
  
Haku smiled at her. "Long time no see."  
  
"Ha....Haku!!"  
  
"Chihiro!!"  
  
She whipped her head back around. "Yes?"  
  
"Pay attention to the lesson! You can talk to Kohaku after school!!" the teacher scolded.   
  
BRIIING!!  
  
"Finally!!" Chihiro sighed as the bell rang and the rest of the class ran out the door, along with the teacher. The clock had never seemed to go so slowly!  
  
Haku stood next to her desk. She grinned at him, jumped up, and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Haku... I can't believe you're here!" she cried into his shirt, tears stinging her eyes.  
  
"It's been too long, hasn't it?" he said, holding her as she buried her face in his chest. Her tears leaked out, getting him wet. Neither of them cared.  
  
"W-why are you here anyway?" Chihiro asked, lifting her head but still clutching him around the middle.  
  
Haku smoothed a few loose hairs behind her ear lovingly. "We miss you."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Me, Lin, and Komaji." They were silent for a few minutes, just standing in the empty classroom together. Then Haku continued, "Ready to go?"  
  
"Go? Go where?"  
  
"Back to the Bathhouse. Where else?"  
  
Chihiro stared at him. "But I can't go back there! What about Yubaba? She'll turn me into a pig!!"  
  
Haku winked. "No she won't. Yubaba's sick. Zeniba's come out from the swamp to care for her and run things. She won't turn you into a pig! Besides, I promised Lin and Komaji I wouldn't come back without you." He put a hand on her right cheek. "Please go back with me."  
  
Chihiro blushed. Her heart was racing. She squeezed her eyes shut. Could she go back? Did Zeniba really have as much control over things as Haku made out she did? And what was this feeling burning in her heart? Could it be... No. It couldn't be.  
  
She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Alright Haku. Let's go."   
  
The bus chugged along the highway.  
  
"You'd better know where you're going, Haku," Chihiro reminded him. "I wasn't paying attention the first time I came through here."  
  
"Relax, I know exactly where we're going," he assured her happily. She gave him a look, then looked out the window at all the cars. The exhaust fumes made everything look slightly blurry in the heat. It was a very hot day for October. Chihiro's skirt stuck to her legs, her sleeves to her arms.  
  
The bus took them out of the city, and still they drove on. Chihiro glanced over at Haku. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hair clung to his scalp. As she watched him, he looked at her, smiling.  
  
"This is it," he said.  
  
The bus screeched to a stop. They got off, stepping onto the broken, weed- covered road. The tracks from Chihiro's parents' car could still be seen. She gazed at them, memories from that adventure flooding back more clearly than ever. She grabbed Haku by the hand, strangely nervous. He smiled, then made a noise.  
  
"Chihiro, I just noticed..." he said. "Your hair... it's down!"  
  
"Mm hmm. I've been wearing it down lately."  
  
"You never wore it like that at the Bathhouse."  
  
She blinked at him. He remembered something as insignificant as that for so long? But why? He squeezed her hand gently.  
  
"Let's get going."  
  
The two walked along the broken pavement silently. Chihiro watched her old friend as they went. Haku stared straight ahead the whole time, his expression stoic. She sighed to herself and looked away.  
  
"Oh!" she cried. "There's that statue!" She smiled as she passed it, recalling how the first time she'd gone by, it had given her the creeps.  
  
...Actually, it still did. Chihiro snuggled closer to Haku.  
  
"Haku?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Can you still turn into a dragon?"  
  
Haku smirked. "How about you climb on and see?" He waited a minute for Chihiro to clamber on his back before transforming into a dragon and hurtling towards the tunnel, only a foot above the road. Chihiro giggled insanely, clinging to his horns for dear life.  
  
In moments, they flew into the tunnel. It took no time at all to zoom through the darkness, out of the train station and into the bright field beyond. The river, almost bigger than Chihiro remembered, stretched out below them like a shimmering snake.  
  
"Haku, has it been raining? The river isn't dry!" she shouted, confused. Being a dragon, he couldn't reply.  
  
On he glided, above the roofs of the town, dodging random birds, until he reached the bridge to the Bathhouse. There on the bridge stood a tall brunette in pink clothes.  
  
"Sen! Haku! You made it!!" she called happily as they touched down next to her and Haku turned back into his normal form.  
  
"Lin!!" Chihiro gasped, dashing to her and hugging her tightly. "I missed you! How are you??"  
  
"I'm surviving, but how are you??" Lin took a few steps back and glanced her over. Satisfied, she pulled her back and gave her an affectionate noogie. "You're certainly more grown-up-looking than you were when I last saw you!"  
  
"Haku, Lin, can we go visit Komaji??" Chihiro asked eagerly.  
  
"Sure thing!" Lin said.   
  
A blast of hot air greeted the three as Haku opened the door to the boiler room.  
  
"Komaji!" Haku called. There was a snort from inside. Chihiro ran in, laughing. She waved up at the large spider-like old man.  
  
"Komaji, it's me!" she giggled. He looked over at her. A large smile broke out from under his mammoth mustache.  
  
"Well now!" he grunted, pausing in his work. "If it isn't little Sen!" All of his arms reached and hugged her.  
  
"Hey Sen, look," Lin said. Chihiro glanced in the indicated direction as the boiler man's arms pulled away. Hundreds of soot balls peeked out of holes in the wall. Slowly, they came out and piled on her, making delighted squeaks.  
  
"Alright, alright!" Komaji said gruffly, hitting the table in front of him with a hammer. "Get back to work! You can celebrate later!!" The soot balls squeaked angrily but scuttled away to work. Haku laughed.  
  
"We'd better find Zeniba now," he commented.  
  
"No need, Zeniba's here," came a voice from behind the door. It slid open. Sure enough, there was Zeniba, fighting her poofy skirts as she climbed through the small door. "Drat these skirts..."  
  
"Granny!" Chihiro cried and hugged her.  
  
"Hello darling. It's been such a long time, hasn't it?"   
  
Hours later, Chihiro stood outside again, leaning against the railing on the bridge. Everyone was so happy to see her! She couldn't believe it. She was actually back.  
  
"Hey you. Sen," said cold voice behind her. She look over her shoulder. A blonde girl, a few years older than herself, glared at her. "You think you're such big stuff, don't you?" She was dressed in the pink work clothes of the Bathhouse.  
  
"What?" Chihiro said, confused.  
  
"You think you're so hot just because you managed to escape Yubaba, but you aren't!" She folded her arms.  
  
Chihiro shook her head. "No I don't!" Then it hit her. This girl is human!  
  
"Yes you do!" the girl contradicted. "And I'll kill you for it!!" She gave one last glare and dashed in the Bathhouse, leaving Chihiro stunned and confused.  
  
This chapter's reviewers:  
  
Suaru-chan, daggergarnet09, mooneyoukai, Raine, Shahrezad1, DarkStar, Lin, Panny-chan, SCO, Hunter, MononokeLynn, tam, Kittenofmystery, unsigned, michelle, chelsey, Rebeccaweasly98, lynnie, dj azn gyrl, Abigail Nicole, Yuko Samari, Zypher, jessica, hiyo myani, Ren, Heaven's Coin, Rebecca  
  
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol 


	2. Chapter 2

Return of Sen: Chapter 2  
  
"You think you're so hot just because you managed to escape Yubaba, but you aren't!" She folded her arms.  
  
Chihiro shook her head. "No I don't!" Then it hit her. This girl is human!  
  
"Yes you do!" the girl contradicted. "And I'll kill you for it!!" She gave one last glare and dashed in the Bathhouse, leaving Chihiro stunned and confused.  
  
"Haku, who was that girl?"  
  
Chihiro sat at the small table in Haku's room, on the top floor of the Bathhouse. Haku, having changed out of his school uniform and back into his normal clothes, set two bowls of rice on the table and sat across from her. (We've never seen him EAT, now have we!?)  
  
"What girl?" he asked, picking up the chopsticks poking out of his bowl.  
  
"This afternoon... a girl that works here threatened me..."  
  
"Threatened you??" He frowned. "What did she look like?"  
  
"Well, first of all, she's human!"  
  
"Oh... Yui!" Haku nodded, smiling again. "Oh come on, Chihiro, Yui wouldn't threaten anybody! She's a good worker and a wonderful girl!"  
  
"Hmm." She just stared down at her rice. Haku's smile faded at Chihiro's face. She looked so sad that he didn't believe her.  
  
"Here," he said gently, reaching over the table and smoothing a loose piece of her hair back. "I'll talk to Yui. I'll find out what's going on. How's that?" His hand brushed her cheek, lingering there for a moment... another moment... Slowly, Haku put two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up. Neither dared to breathe. Chihiro's heart beat so fast she thought it might pop. Haku crept forward very gradually until their lips were only a hair apart-  
  
"Knock knock!" came Lin's voice outside the room.  
  
Haku jerked back, pulling his hand away quickly. Disappointment rushed through Chihiro as Lin ambled in, carrying a rolled-up futon on her shoulder.  
  
"Hey you two!" she grinned. "I figured Sen wouldn't want to be crowded in our room during her visit, so I brought her stuff up here! It's ok for her to stay in your room, isn't it, Haku?"  
  
"Oh... of course." Haku smiled. "Is that alright with you, Chihiro?"  
  
"Uh... huh..." She tried to smile and nod.  
  
"Great!" Lin dropped the bedding on the floor and unrolled it. "Well, I gotta get back to work. See ya!" She strode out. Chihiro sat down on the futon.  
  
"Haku... I think I'll just go to sleep now. Good night," she said. Haku glanced at her.  
  
"Alright, but..." He reached over and lay his hand on the top of her head gently. "Wouldn't you rather sleep in a bed? You can use mine, if you want, and I'll sleep on the futon."  
  
She looked up sharply into his kind face. "Are you sure?" He nodded. "Well... I guess so..." Inside her chest, her heart hammered at the thought of sleeping in Haku's bed. She let a faint smile cross her face as she stood again and went over to Haku's bed. He smiled back as she slid under the covers.  
  
"Good night Chihiro. Sleep well."  
  
Chihiro curled into a ball under the sheets, inhaling deeply the scent of Haku... to her, the most wonderful scent in the world. She wished she could smell it for the rest of her life.  
  
After awhile, Haku heard the girl's breathing even out. He stood beside the bed, gazing down at the sleeping Chihiro. He chuckled softly as she let out a loud snore, then leaned down and gave her upturned cheek the most feather- light of kisses.  
  
"My sweet Chihiro..." he whispered into the night before leaving the room. He was going to make good on his promise: he was going to talk to Yui.  
  
This chapter's (which in this case includes the non-chapter chapters that got the fic removed in the first place) reviewers:  
  
Irusta, Rachel Black, marywolfe32, Destiny's Fate, Lilly, Maruken, Alec Khushrenada, kingster0517, Bandit, Kaoru Gal  
  
And I missed a few reviewers last chapter (moushi wake arimasen!!!): Caitie B, indigocornflower, angelkiss1719, Kaoru Gal  
  
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol 


	3. Chapter 3

Return of Sen: Chapter 3  
  
After searching the entire bathhouse, Haku finally found Yui scrubbing a bath alone. He watched her for a minute. Yui didn't seem like the type to threaten someone, but maybe... She was the only blonde at the bathhouse, and certainly the only human (other than Chihiro) to ever visit the demon world without being destroyed by Yubaba. She'd turned up as a small child, only five years old (they guessed), her thin dress ragged, crying. Haku had been there.  
  
He'd been preparing a bath for a guest when his sharp ears had detected a faint wail. Assuming it was just the wind picking up, he'd ignored it and gone on with his task. Someone, he never found out who, had also heard it and found a screaming blonde child in the town. They'd brought it to the bathhouse and gone to get Yubaba.  
  
The child's wail, much louder inside the building, made him cover his ears; it pierced his head like an arrow. Finishing the bath preparations, he went to find the source of the noise. Pushing his way through a crowd of demons, he came upon young Yui. Haku could still remember his surprise upon finding a child and a human, no less. He could still see in his mind Yubaba rushing down the many steps, skirts whirling in her haste.  
  
"What is this??" she had insisted, then glared at the crowd. "Who is responsible for bringing that thing here!?" And then something happened that had shocked them all to no end. The child had spoken.  
  
"Not a thing, am a person!" the child had stated angrily, sniffling and wiping away her tears. "Am a girl. Am..." But Haku suddenly couldn't remember her real name, or even what happened next. The only thing he could recall was Yubaba giving her a contract. Taking away her real name and giving her the new one, Yui. Everyone else had thought it insane to employ a human, let alone a human child. It had taken them a long, long time to accept Yui.  
  
"Haku?" Haku looked up sharply into Yui's smiling, sweaty face. "Did you need to talk to me?"  
  
"Oh!" He smiled back. "I did, actually."  
  
"Ok then, shoot."  
  
"You know how I brought Chihiro back here today?"  
  
"You mean Sen? Yeah?"  
  
Haku smiled sheepishly. He felt stupid saying it, but he was going to find out for Chihiro's sake. "Well, she said... she said you threatened to kill her this afternoon."  
  
Yui gasped. "She did?? I'd never do that, you know I wouldn't, Haku!"  
  
"I did think it was odd," he admitted. "But I don't think she'd ever met you before, so I wasn't sure what to believe."  
  
Yui nodded a bit. "Yeah..." She looked away. Haku watched at her curiously. She glanced back at him and bit her lip, succumbing to his inquiring gaze. "Oh, I wasn't going to say anything, but..." Her voice got quieter; Haku leaned in a few inches to hear her better. "It was really Sen that threatened me!"  
  
"Chihiro did that!?"  
  
"She's not the goody-goody you think she is!" she insisted. "I saw her when she worked here. She was so mean to everyone, I was really glad I never met her! She was a horrible brat. She hardly did any work, either, and she expected everyone else to pick up the slack!" Yui wiped away a drop of sweat sliding down her face. "It's true."  
  
Haku frowned. That couldn't be true. He'd also seen Chihiro work and it hadn't been that way. But then again, he hadn't watched her all the time. Could she have down those things when he wasn't looking? Was she even capable of doing them with her tender heart? Was she just a well kept lie? This mystery just got bigger and bigger. Out loud, he said distantly, "Thanks Yui."  
  
"Oh, no problem! Just... just don't tell Sen I told you those things... ok?" Haku waved his hand in acknowledgment and walked away in deep thought. Once he was out of earshot, Yui smirked and stuck out her tongue. "Fool."  
  
This chapter's reviewers:  
  
Kaoru Gal, Helga22, GriffinFox, moezy-chan, evil Reviwer!!, Bandit, Alex Warlorn  
  
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol 


	4. Chapter 4

Return of Sen: Chapter 4  
  
When Chihiro woke, she didn't open her eyes. She rolled onto her stomach with a sigh and fumbled around beside her to grab her clock, to check the time. It was still dark, and she wondered how much time she had left before she had to drag herself out of bed for school. She frowned, increasing her fumbling when her hand didn't hit the alarm clock right away. Her hand instead brushed something warm and soft. She eeped and opened her eyes quickly.  
  
Through the dimness, she could make out Haku sitting on a futon beside her. His head leaned backwards, resting on her mattress. He sat in what looked like an uncomfortable position to Chihiro, but perhaps he didn't mind. As her gaze fell on the olive-haired boy, the previous day's events rushed back to her. She frowned, letting her fingers trail down the back of his hair where they had landed in the search for her clock.  
  
As she did so, the boy let out a soft sigh. "Chihiro..." he breathed softly.  
  
Blushing very lightly, Chihiro whispered back into the stillness, "Haku..."  
  
His eyes sprang open as his sharp ears picked up the sound of his name. The hand on his head quickly pulled away. Haku lifted his head and glanced around quickly, searching for whoever had spoken. Chihiro shrank back a bit into her blanket, uncertain if she wanted to be seen awake. For some reason, Haku didn't seem as happy as he had the day before. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and buried her face in her blanket. She could feign sleep as well as anybody.  
  
Haku finally turned to look at Chihiro; she could feel his steady gaze beat down on the top of her head. She prayed silently he wouldn't realize she was awake, unsure exactly why she was even hiding such a fact. Haku's eyes remained watching her for a few more seconds, lingering until Chihiro thought she might go crazy from holding still.  
  
A soft, gentle hand touched her upturned cheek with the softest of caresses, nearly causing the girl to leap out of her pretend rest. Then came a quiet, worried, confused voice, a mix of emotions Chihiro wasn't used to hearing when the boy spoke.  
  
"Chihiro," the voice said, sounded horribly helpless. "Did you really do such things?" There was a sigh.  
  
Slow footsteps sounded going around the bed. Then they halted abruptly as another set echoed down the hall, very faintly at first but growing louder as their owner drew nearer to the room. Finally, they too ceased, and Chihiro heard another voice that she had come to detest in a mere night.  
  
"Ohayo, Haku!" Yui called brightly.  
  
"Ohayogozaimasu," Haku responded, his previous emotions gone and now just sounding tired. "How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm just fine." There was a creak as the blonde sat on the edge of the bed by Chihiro's feet. She could tell it wasn't Haku because Yui was much lighter. "But you sound simply exhausted! Didn't you sleep well?" Concern dripped from her words like honey from a beehive. Chihiro had to force herself not to scream from how false it sounded. But Haku appeared fooled but it.  
  
"No, I didn't sleep well..." he answered with another sigh. The bed squeaked again as he dropped onto the sheets next to Chihiro's head. "I have... a lot on my mind right now." His hand slipped under the blanket, found a warm cheek (on her face!! Get your minds outta the gutter. shakes her head, muttering and grinning), and stroked it gently next to the ear. Chihiro felt the color rise to her cheeks and wondered if Haku could feel the temperature of her face rising.  
  
"Do you? What about?" the other human inquired innocently. Chihiro felt her weight shift as she leaned forward slightly. "It's not about... what I told you last night, is it?" Chihiro received a stab of curiosity through her heart.  
  
"...no, of course not!" Haku replied less tiredly than before. Chihiro could tell he had put on a false smile, as she herself had done many times in front of her parents. "I've hardly thought about that at all." Liar! she felt like yelling. It was obvious that was what was bugging him. If only she knew what it was!  
  
"Liar," Yui said, echoing her thoughts. "I can tell... look, forget I mentioned it, ok? If you're losing sleep about Chihiro bothering me, don't worry about it. I can take care of myself."  
  
"Are you sure?" Yui must have nodded, because Haku pulled his hand away from Chihiro's cheek and his weight lifted off of the bed. "If you say so... but you make sure and let me know if anything else happens."  
  
"I will.." Yui's weight also lifted. "Let's go get some breakfast, I'm starving."  
  
"Alright. Chihiro will probably sleep for awhile yet. I'll bring her up something later..."  
  
Two pairs of footsteps echoed, their owners leaving the room and walking down the hall. There was a soft clang as the elevator doors slid shut and the faintest of whirs as the elevator left the floor, going down. The moment the whirring ended, Chihiro furiously threw off her blanket. That jerk of a girl!! That Yui!! Chihiro, bother HER!? That was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard!! No wonder Haku had sounded so confused, if Yui was spewing THOSE kinds of lies to him!! She could only imagine exactly what she'd told Haku, and it ticked her off.  
  
She glared down at the futon spread on the floor. "How could she?" she muttered under her breath.  
  
"Talking about me? Well, that's not nice."  
  
Chihiro whipped her head up, only to see Yui standing in the doorway, smirking lightly. Yui gave her a sort of wave as her smirk grew. Chihiro's glare grew just as fast.  
  
"I thought you went to breakfast with Haku," she said to the blonde, trying to master her fury.  
  
Yui shrugged. "I told him I forgot to do something and I'd meet him downstairs."  
  
"What did you tell Haku I did to you!?" Chihiro then cried, leaping off of the bed in her anger. "I haven't done anything, and you know it! I've barely said three words to you, I don't even KNOW you!! What do you have against me!?"  
  
Yui examined the fingernails on one of her hands rather haughtily. "Like I said before, Sen, you think you're all big and bad because you're the only person to ever escape Yubaba's clutches. I'm going to kill you for that." She gazed down at Chihiro with a strange, furious look in her eyes. "And even if I don't do the dirty work myself, you'll die. I'll make sure of that, don't you worry." She flicked a stray lock of long blonde hair out of her eyes and stalked back out the door.  
  
Chihiro stared after her, her anger slowly melting into confusion and fear. She didn't understand anything that just happened. She sank back down onto the jumbled covers, trying to figure it out. A girl she didn't even know wanted her dead and was trying to convince Haku she was a horrible person to do it...  
  
...so much for a peaceful visit to the bathhouse.  
  
This chapter's reviewers:  
  
Fanficmaniac Evil Reviewer, Bandit, urban-angel809, Menoumarus1grl, moezy- chan, Draechaeli, Mizu Akuma, Shuffle Queen, Angel, Reyoko-chan, angelchu003, Alex Warlorn, Mika, baka-onna2003, Jessica R., Amasaki Reyoko, Eizoku, GoldKitsune, angel-chu003, Kokiro Ogino  
  
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol 


	5. Chapter 5

Return of Sen: Chapter 5  
  
"Haku, I have to talk to you."  
  
The sun had risen and the day's work had begun. The bathhouse was like a beehive or an anthill. Everyone had a job to do, and they were doing them as quickly and efficiently as possible; there was no room for error. The stench of cleaning supplies and dirt filled the air, mixing with the scent of the herbal water flowing into the baths. Outside, the wind blew furiously around, battering itself against the building brimming with life. The trees rustled under the wind's pressure, some of the younger ones creaking and bending over. The sky was starting to darken as grim clouds were pushed into place by the wind. There was going to be a storm.  
  
But Chihiro was ignoring all of that. She had found Haku walking speedily down a hall near the top of the bathhouse where it wasn't so busy. She stepped into his path and stopped him, gazing at him seriously. "Haku, I have to talk to you," she repeated.  
  
"I'm very sorry, Chihiro, but can it wait?" her friend replied, trying to brush past her. "I need to check on Yubaba. Zeniba went back to the swamp earlier and now I have to take care of her."  
  
"No!!" She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him in front of her again. "It can't wait." She looked into his eyes intently. "Listen, Yui is lying to you about me!" She saw his eyes widen. She knew he was wondering how she knew. "I was awake when you two were talking this morning. It's a lie!! I would never hurt another person! You know that, you know me!! It's really the other way around, Yui's the one who's been bothering me!!"  
  
"Again, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. We can talk about this later." Chihiro was dismayed to see his bangs cast a shadow over his eyes. He touched her hand and gently pulled her fingers off of his sleeve. He then turned and headed up the stairs to Yubaba's room.  
  
Tears quivering in Chihiro's eyes, she shouted after him, "I wouldn't! I didn't! Why won't you believe me!?" She saw him pause and hoped he would turn back around to face her.  
  
"I don't know what to believe." And he continued up the stairs out of sight. Chihiro stood, watching his back until he disappeared up the steps. Then she sighed. Haku wasn't sure he believed her, she'd seen it in his eyes. She slowly turned and went in the opposite direction, towards the elevator she'd come up by. Stepping inside, she pulled the lever and it rumbled as it descended. She rested her forehead against the wall and sighed again, letting her eyes slid shut.  
  
She opened them again as the elevator came to a halt and the door slid open. She stepped out. She was only about halfway down the building, but that was fine with her. She leaned on the railing overlooking the baths and watched the steam rise. It was rather soothing to her confused mind. Why didn't Haku believe her? Didn't he trust her? Or did he just trust Yui more? She dropped to her knees on the floor and rested her head on her arms on the railing. The most important question probably was, why did Yui hate her so? She just didn't understand.  
  
A voice broke into her thoughts, a voice that could only belong to an infuriating blonde.  
  
"You look down, Sen. Anything I can help with?"  
  
Chihiro frowned up at Yui, who had a pleased smirk on her face. She said nothing in reply, however. She simply tried to ignore the girl and focus on the steam, which was more appealing. But Yui refused to be ignored. She knelt beside her and continued smirking.  
  
"What's the matter?" she cooed as if speaking to a little child. "Let Big Sissy Yui make it better. Did we have a fight with Haku? Huh? Did weeeeeee?" Her evil smile grew as Chihiro's angry frown melted slightly into a sad one. "Aha. So we DID have a fight. What a shame that is."  
  
"What do want from me?" Chihiro whispered, still not looking at her.  
  
Yui eyed her for a moment before replying. "I've told you that before, you silly girl. I want you dead. Whether it be from a broken heart..." She leaned closer and muttered, "...or of something much more physical."  
  
SMACK!!  
  
Yui skidded backwards on one elbow, a beautiful red handprint glowing on her cheek. Chihiro was on her feet again, her hand still in the air, tears brimming in her eyes, glaring at the girl on the ground. She just couldn't take anymore. Yui slowly raised her hand and touched the print in shock.  
  
"You bitch!!" she hissed ironically, narrowing her eyes. With a snarl, she leapt on Chihiro.  
  
Haku had just finished checking on Yubaba, who was feeling much better but not quite well enough to run the bathhouse normally, and was coming back down the stairs when he heard frantic cries of "Master Haku!!" He glanced down at the bottom of the steps and saw four workers waiting for him, calling to him urgently. "What's the problem?" he asked, imagining there was another stink god coming or something.  
  
"There's a fight on the sixth floor!!" one of the female workers exclaimed.  
  
"No one dares to step in, it's scary!!" yelled another.  
  
"Alright, I'm on my way," he said quickly and rushed down the rest of the stairway and around to the corner to the next one, completely bypassing the elevator. He continued down various stairways until he reached the sixth floor and nearly ran into people backing up. He stopped himself quickly, blinking. He could hear loud panting and some cursing ahead. Obviously, that's where the fight was. He carefully pushed his way through to the front of the crowd and was greeted by a nice shot of the fighters.  
  
There in front of him were Chihiro and Yui, struggling madly with each other. Chihiro had been on the defensive most of the fight, but she'd just managed to force her way on top. Her lip was cut and her face looked scratched up; some of the scratches were even bleeding. Yui was no better off. The handprint was starting to bruise and her arms had scratches as well. It was pretty much a catfight.  
  
"Chihiro! Yui!!" Haku shouted. The two stopped what they were doing and slowly looked up at him. Chihiro nearly sighed in relief. Maybe now Haku will believe me about Yui, she thought. She opened her mouth to speak--  
  
"Hakuuuuuu!!!" Too late. Yui cried out his name, burst into what she could tell were fake tears, and scrambled out from under the other girl. "S-Sen j- jumped me!!" she wailed, throwing herself into Haku's arms. He immediately looked at Chihiro in disbelief for a moment, holding the sobbing Yui, then gradually frowned.  
  
"No!" Chihiro gasped, her eyes widening. She knew by that frown that Haku would no longer listen to a word she said, but she tried anyway. "I didn't started this, Haku, I swear! You've got to believe me!! I--"  
  
"No more, Chihiro," Haku interrupted her, his frown growing with every second. "Just stop. I don't want to hear anymore lies. I just don't understand why you'd do this!"  
  
"But I didn't!! She's the one--"  
  
"I told you to STOP!!!"  
  
Chihiro cut herself off quickly, frightened of Haku's scream. She'd never seen him this angry. His frown had transformed into a true glare. Even as scared as she was, she tried one more time. "Just listen to what I have to say! Please!"  
  
"That's it, get out!!!" he screamed, his hair starting to rise as he let his powers swirl around him in his wrath. "Damn it, Chihiro, get out!! Leave and never come back!! Do you hear me!? Get OUT!!!"  
  
Chihiro looked at him a momently longer, tears returning and quivering in her eyes. Then she turned and fled down the stairs.  
  
This chapter's reviewers:  
  
Kokiro Ogino  
  
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol 


	6. Chapter 6

Return of Sen: Chapter 6  
  
It was raining.  
  
Actually, that was putting it mildly. Two years ago, it had rained at the bathhouse and the surrounding area had flooded. It had rained hard, yes, and lots, but that was nothing compared to now. The rain came down like the water being dumped into the baths inside. Each bolt of lightning lit the pitch black sky like a ray of daylight, and every clap of thunder shook the earth like a giant earthquake and sounded as if great boulders were being thrown from the roof and were crashing to the ground. It was a very intense storm, but even that was almost putting it mildly.  
  
Which pretty much mirrored Chihiro's mood.  
  
Her mind was in turmoil. Haku wanted her to leave. She didn't know how or why it happened, but Haku wanted her gone.  
  
"That does it, get out!!" he'd screamed. "Damn it, Chihiro, get out!! Leave and never come back!! Do you hear me!? Get OUT!!!"  
  
Chihiro stumbled out into the insanely powerful thunderstorm, the rain drenching her within seconds. If Haku wanted her to leave and never come back... she would. There was nothing to stay there for, if the one she loved didn't want her.  
  
She dashed down the steps in the town, the rain making the stones slippery. She nearly fell a few times, but she kept running away from the light, the warmth of the bathhouse... the bitter cold of Haku.  
  
When the river came in sight, she was even more dismayed to find its current moving swiftly, and one edge was miles and miles from the other.  
  
"Fine," she mumbled to herself. "I'll swim it." In the back of her mind, she knew she would never make it, but she shoved that thought aside. So what if her strength gave out halfway? Better to drown here than go back to the human world with nothing to fuel her will to live. She started down the hill.  
  
But it was too muddy. Letting out a cry, she fell forward and slid forward on her stomach, her front getting soaked with brown, slowing and stopping as she reached the river's bank, which was MUCH higher than normal. There she lay, tears finally escaping her, sobbing harder than she ever had before. One thought echoed in her head as she cried.  
  
Haku, why did you have to do this to me?   
  
Back in the bathhouse, Haku stood alone, leaning against the wall, staring at his hands. His rage had disappeared for the most part, and he was starting to rethink his rash decision. Maybe I was too hard on Chihiro, he thought worriedly.  
  
Just then, a cruel laugh broke into his speculations.  
  
"Hah! What a little fool!"  
  
He looked up and saw Yui standing at a window, holding an ice pack to her cheek and smirking. The smoldering embers of his anger suddenly flared up again. He stalked over to her.  
  
"What is so funny, Yui?"  
  
Yui smirked again and pointed out the glass. "Check out that idiot! She's just laying out there in the mud! If she's not careful, she's gonna get hit by lightning! She's such a fool!" Yui let out another fierce giggle. "Serves her right, though, doesn't it?"  
  
His fury returning, Haku growled deep in his throat and shoved the girl against the wall with all his strength. "Don't you DARE laugh about something like that!! It's not funny at all!! How dare you-" Something clicked in his mind. It felt like a getting pummeled by a ton of bricks. His eyes went wide and his wrath increased tenfold. "YOU did this! YOU'RE behind all this!! You really WERE abusing Chihiro, and she was telling the truth!!" That realization hit him hard, too. His voice lowered a notch as he repeated, almost to himself, "She was telling the truth... and I didn't believe her..."  
  
Yui gave a sly grin, even though she was in pain from the force she'd hit the wall with. "So what if I did? It's too late now. Sen's gone. I've accomplished what I wanted; nothing else matters!"  
  
"Why did you do it!?" Haku shouted, eyes blazing once more. Yui didn't reply right away, but Haku continued, "On second thought, I don't care right now! I've got more important things to do than listen to your lies." He let go of her shoulders and started off. After a few steps, he turned and glared at Yui. "But when I get back and Chihiro's safe, I'll find out the truth."  
  
With those as parting words, he went quickly down the stairs, grabbing a large umbrella as he went. His back was to Yui, so he didn't see the small, sad smile cross her lips or the tears start to fall down her face as she closed her eyes.   
  
There she was. Chihiro, laying in the muck by the river, its currents getting closer by the minute. Haku readjusted his grip on the umbrella as lightning crackled overhead. As fast as he could without stumbling, he ran down the hill to her side. Actually, he stopped a few feet from her.  
  
"Chihiro..." he whispered, even though in the rain and thunder, it couldn't be heard. He took a step nearer, then another, and another, till he knelt next to her and touched her shoulder gently. "Chihiro!" he said again, loud enough to be heard this time, which meant he was shouting.  
  
Chihiro jerked her tearstained face out of the mud. She stared at the hand touching her, then up at Haku. She yanked out of his grip and hurled herself away from him.  
  
"Get away from me!!" she shrieked.  
  
"I know you won't want to see me right now, Chihiro, but - CHIHIRO!!"  
  
Her hand slipped in the brown goop. With a scream lost in another crash of thunder, she fell into the raging river.  
  
Haku didn't pause to think. Flinging aside the umbrella, he dove into the river after her. In a flash, he became a dragon, because he could swim faster that way. He caught up to her, swam under her so her thrashing body caught hold of his horns, and surfaced. He flew into the air, then into the town, and he grounded himself in front of the bathhouse. Chihiro rolled off his scaly back and he turned into his human form again.  
  
Haku carefully picked up her head and set it in his lap. She coughed up a bit of water, then gazed up at him, too out of breath to try to get away. The storm seemed to be lessening; the rain had let up enough to speak normally.  
  
"Chihiro... please forgive me," Haku begged. "I know I acted horrible and don't deserve it, but please." He felt tears of his own prick his eyes but he refused to let them fall. Chihiro noticed this but didn't say anything. After a moment, he spoke again. "You fell in another river and I had to save you again. It's kind of odd, huh?"  
  
"No."  
  
"No...?"  
  
"I can't forgive you, Haku, I... I won't."  
  
This chapter's reviewers:  
  
Arienis, Takako san, heebiejeebie, XxXKagomeXxX, Velf, Yamis-girl202, Edward Elric, Yuko Samari, blue fuzzy elf, namida-namida, Kokiro Ogino  
  
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol 


	7. Chapter 7

Return of Sen: Chapter 7

La dee daaa! ::dances:: ROS is doing so well! I love all my reviewers!! ::huggles everyone and hands out candy::

Pegasus: ::sneakily steals some candy and shoves it into his mouth::

::flashes a glare at him::

Pegasus: ::through a mouthful of chocolate:: Whaaaa'??

::still glaring:: I think I forgot to mention when I reposted my chapters that in fact, I do NOT own Spirited Away at all. That honor goes to the legendary Miyazaki-san. ::pauses:: Although I do think it should be obvious I don't own it, since I'm posting these chapters at , which implies that their stories are by FANS. Fans who are too poor to GET the rights to these shows. (No offense to other fans! It's just usually true!) Besides, if I DID have the rights, I'd be out SELLING this fic for cash!! Mwahahah!!

On with the fic!

* * *

Silence. Darkness and silence, unbroken but for a faint scrubbing noise and the occasional sigh. It was the dead or night. Everyone was in their rooms, sound asleep, enjoying the dark and quiet. Well, almost everyone.

Everyone except one human.

Chihiro, broom in hand and hair pulled back, was cleaning. The light was on above one bath, a very small one in the very back corner of the room. It was simply covered in dirt and dust; the only person who used it was a certain human-sized god, and he only came around every hundred years or so. It was always a big to-do when he came around, but in between times, the bath went untouched. In the last three days, Chihiro had taken to cleaning it at night and sleeping during the day.

Three days. It had been three days since the terrible thunderstorm. The entire land was flooded as far out as the eye could see. Dark, angry clouds still lingered, blocking out the sun, just as bitter, angry thoughts still cloaked Chihiro's mind.

She shoved the broom through the muck. Back when she'd been a worker, she could have made the bath look presentable in a single day. However, now she was really trying to get it clean, not just to make it appear clean. She was in such a mood that she wanted to make every inch shine. Needless to say, it had been a long time indeed since _anything_ in the bathhouse had been that clean. Chihiro estimated it would take her another week to finish. It was odd, but cleaning helped heal her raw mind. She sighed and wiped sweat from her forehead.

"Why don't you take a bath?"

She whipped her head around towards the doorway. There stood Haku; it was the first time she'd seen him since the storm. Of course, she'd had to start sleeping while he was awake to manage that. She knew some people who, given their recent argument, would have let their appearances go to seed. Haku looked just like his normal self... but his _eyes_... his eyes looked tormented. There was such sadness in them that Chihiro nearly forgave him in spite of herself. It was clear he'd been in as much pain as she had. However, she forced herself to stay angry. She had every right to.

"I'm not a customer," she replied curtly, turning her head coldly away form him. "These baths are reserved for customers, as you well know." She returned to her sweeping, adding as an afterthought, "Besides, Kamaji's probably gone to bed by now."

She tensed up as a callused hand gently pried one of her off the broom handle. Something rectangular and wooden pressed into hers. Unable to resist, she glanced down and saw she now held a bath token. A very nice one, at that. The faint scent of lavender drifted up serenely from it. Haku gazed down at her, unsmiling.

She shoved the token back into his hand before she could be tempted. The scratches on her face that Yui had given her in their catfight still throbbed fiercely, and she knew the herbal water would do them a lot of good. She was determined not to do anything Haku might want her to, though. "Take it back," she insisted, "I don't want it."

Haku started walking away and Chihiro decided she must have gotten through to him, so she went back to her cleaning. She climbed into the bath and started scrubbing at the bottom, completely ignoring the boy until a loud clack moments later awoke her attention. She blinked, glanced up, and saw a wooden water chute above her head issuing from the wall. Haku shut the panel on the wall and tugged sharply on the rope. Steaming, lavender-scented, green-tinted water gushed down the chute. Chihiro yelped and scrambled out swiftly before it could drench her.

"H-Haku!!" she yelled, rescuing her broom from the quickly rising bath. "What was that for!?" She tried to glare at him, but instead she ended up gasping, blushing, and reeling backwards, falling head over heels into the water anyway.

Haku was stripping down.

He watched Chihiro flop back into the water and nearly smiled; he'd guessed her reaction perfected. He raised his eyes to the second floor balcony and nodded to the woman standing there. Lin grinned and gave him a thumbs-up in response. She couldn't stand to see her two friends this way, one ignoring the other. So when Haku had asked for her help, she had immediately agreed. She reached behind her and lowered the convenient switch there. She then leaned over the rail and smirked, watching Haku finish removing his clothes.

The water stopped flowing and Chihiro's head broke through the surface, gasping. At that moment, the lights snapped off. The girl would have screamed, but a hand clapped itself over her mouth before the air could escape her lungs. She felt herself pressed to a firm, bare, distinctly male chest.

"Chihiro!" Haku's voice came next to her ear to console her before she began to struggle. "It's just me! Relax." Her head twitched as his words tickled her flesh. "Look, I'm very sorry, I really am! I know that isn't nearly enough to make what I said before any better, but..."

Haku continued speaking, but Chihiro completely missed everything around a point. she squirmed uncontrollably against his grip. Why did he keep talking?? It... it tickled her ear like no other! It was driving her insane! As she wiggled, she was uncomfortably aware of her soaked clothes sticking tightly to her body like a second skin.

...why oh why did that boy keep going on!? If he didn't stop soon, she was going to explode or something! What was so important that he couldn't stop talking for two minutes??

"...so please, Chihiro. Couldn't you find it in your heart to-" the boy continued before he was interrupted by a frantic peal of laughter. He blinked in surprise, his mouth still open from speaking.

"Stop! Stop!" Chihiro giggled shrilly, squirming more than ever. Haku simply held her, unsure of just what he'd said to make her laugh. Usually when you were angry at someone, you didn't burst into random fits of laughter at them. Unless it was bitter laughter, of course. However, this was far from bitter. It was undeniably silly. And on top of the silliness, she was starting to blush furiously. What in the world had set her off like that??

After a few minutes, Chihiro started regaining her composure. She breathed hard, her cheeks aching from smiling so hard. She leaned back against Haku, not even realizing she was doing so, to catch her breath. She remained that way for a little but longer before abruptly both realizing what she was doing and remembering she supposed to be angry at him. She started to pull away, but she hesitated. She didn't really want to. She really wanted to forgive him.

Also his arms were still wrapped around her stomach.

"Haku, I..." she tried. "Um... I..."

"Yes?" His breath still whistled past her ear and she couldn't stand it.

"I... I wanted to know what's going to happen to Yui now!" she blurted, mentally smacking herself. That boy was so distracting; that's not what she'd meant to say at all!

Haku's face fell a bit out of disappointment. "Well, once Yubaba hears about this, I assume she'll banish her from the bathhouse." _Is that all Chihiro wants to know?_ Haku thought to himself sadly. If so... then his plan for reconciling with her had completely failed. How... disheartening.

Chihiro glanced back at him. "She'll be banished? Will she be given back her name?" She studied his gentle face that looked almost sad for some reason.

"No. Her contract will be burned and she'll be sent away along the railroad tracks until she finds a new life. But likely she'll never find her name again." He shut his eyes momentarily. "And she'll never be allowed to return here." He opened them again and gazed down at her, smiling normally except there was something off. That essence of sadness still remained.

"That's... terrible," Chihiro commented quietly. The top half of her body, which was not submerged, was starting to get cold. Goosebumps chased each other up and down her exposed flesh. She shivered.

"It's no more than she deserves," Haku declared forcefully, eyeing the bumps on her arms. Even if she wouldn't forgive him, he'd might as well go on with the rest of his plan. He almost blushed as he told her, "If you're cold, take off the rest of your clothes. I promise I won't look."

"W...what!?" Chihiro stared, her cheeks taking on the exact color of the old workclothes she was wearing. True to his word, though, the river spirit turned and faced the opposite direction before she could refused. She took a shaky breath. She _was_ cold... what harm could it do? She slowly, nervously, pulled off her clothes piece by piece, wringing out each one, and laying them stretched out on the wooden floor. Once her body was completely bare, she ducked into the water just enough to protect her sense of decency. "Haku..." she murmured, "you can turn back around." Her face, which had been among the parts of her that were cold, was already warming up and it definitely wasn't because of the warm water.

Haku did so and smiled inwardly. Chihiro looked so embarrassed, the way she was trying to cover his chest with her arms when she was already underwater. The way she gazed up nervously at him, as if he was going to judge her or something.

...the way her pink face highlighted the scratches that were there first? He shook his head. That wasn't something to be smiling about. The scratches actually looked a bit blistered. He fished a rag out of the water, wrung it out, and reached for her left cheek. She instinctively inched back, but he took hold of her shoulder with his other hand and held her still. Carefully he pressed the cloth to the sores.

A sigh of relief escaped Chihiro's lips instantly. A mere touch of the herbal water made the constant ache disappear. She slid her eyes shut in bliss. She hadn't even realized she'd been hurting so much until the pain had disappeared. She'd been too busy cleaning, sleeping, and generally trying to keep her mind off the pain from the night of the storm.

Haku left the rag there for a minute longer, then freshened it in the water and returned it to her skin, this time to her other cheek. Another contented noise immediately left her. He smiled outwardly this time. He noticed that from that simple treatment, the scratches were paler and seemed healthier. He made a mental note to thank Kamaji for all the wonderful herb concoctions he put in the water.

Chihiro opened her eyes reluctantly as Haku removed the rag for the second time. Suddenly changing her sleeping patterns was catching up with her. Between that and the hot water and steam, she felt very sleepy all of a sudden. She let out an abrupt yawn.

The boy chuckled softly. "Are you ready to get out?" he asked. She nodded slowly, letting herself slid farther into the water. "Hold on, then. Don't go to sleep yet. Let me get you a towel and some dry clothes first." He began climbing out of the bath but was stopped by a drowsy voice quietly calling his name.

"Haku..."

He turned partway around again. "Yes?"

"My face isn't the only hurt part of me," she murmured.

"It isn't?" he said in surprise. "What else is hurt?" _Does she mean her heart?_ he wondered. _Because I definitely broke that when I chose not to believe her..._ But then his eyes were drawn to her lower lip... her swollen, puffy, angry red lip. He was bewildered by the fact that he hadn't noticed it until that moment. His smile returned twice as large. Chihiro was barely awake enough to be speaking, she probably didn't even know what she was saying. She wouldn't remember if he...

He dipped his finger into the water again and ran it along his own lips, coating them with some of the healing herbs from the liquid. He softly cupped his hands around her head and pressed his lips tenderly to hers. Pulling away slowly, he glanced at her injured lip and watched it shrink before his eyes to nearly its normal size.

Chihiro unexpectedly opened her mouth and breathed almost silently, "I forgive you, Haku..." Then she licked her lips and went limp in sleep.

* * *

Review Reply Corner:

_(Due to the fact that the computer I type up my fics on is NOT the computer that has the ability to pull up my reviews, the Review Reply Corner is temporarily suspended. It will be back as soon as I can figure out an easier way to write replies to the reviews. My sincere apologizes to everyone. ::passes out more candy to everyone who won't get their replies this chapter::)_

Author's Notes:

Well, another chapter down, and only a few left to go! Kinda sad... but hey, that's writing. I felt the same way at the end of Double Trouble, except I thought that fic was a little more well written than this one is. Sorry if you disagree, but that what I honestly think. I'll kinda be glad to get this fic over and done with. SOMEONE who shall remain nameless keeps bugging me to work on the Prophecy Books... ::cough cough:: And to her, if she's reading, I say: quit giving me crap! As soon as this fic's done!! lol. So... that's it! Please review! I love reviews! ::heart::

See you next chapter!


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